Rotary Buffer vs DA Polisher vs Traditional Orbital Buffer

[rusty bumper]

Re: Rotary Buffer vs DA Polisher vs Traditional Orbital Buffer

I really like this write-up so I'm replying with it in mind. I have a Milwaukee rotary I use to polish my car. Other than removing deep scratches, I generally use the meguiars yellow polishing pad to remove swirls and light scratches. M-80 has proved to be outstanding and to the task and I've had good luck with the Milwaukee. I often follow it with M7, then NXT 2.0 applied by a small orbital. Problem is that the Milwaukee rotary is really heavy. What would be a good replacement for it that would be lighter in weight and easier to control?

Thanks,

Brad

I would recommend the G100, but I'm not sure if Meguiars still sells them or not. I'm not too high on the G110 from what I've heard.

[Brad777]

Re: Rotary Buffer vs DA Polisher vs Traditional Orbital Buffer

I really like this write-up so I'm replying with it in mind. I have a Milwaukee rotary I use to polish my car. Other than removing deep scratches, I generally use the meguiars yellow polishing pad to remove swirls and light scratches. M-80 has proved to be outstanding and to the task and I've had good luck with the Milwaukee. I often follow it with M7, then NXT 2.0 applied by a small orbital. Problem is that the Milwaukee rotary is really heavy. What would be a good replacement for it that would be lighter in weight and easier to control?

Thanks,

Brad

[motmoto1]

Re: Rotary Buffer vs DA Polisher vs Traditional Orbital Buffer

Definitely - thanks for the welcome. I will be going to the local junk yard and picking up a hood or a door panel. Hopefully, once I have it down, I can go on to other cars and see how it works. Hopefully I achieve the results I wish with the PC. I will only be using it to detail my car. Thanks again!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Rotary Buffer vs DA Polisher vs Traditional Orbital Buffer

what are considered major paint defects - holograms, deep scratches?

Thanks again!

Noobie.

Anything deep, swirls, scratches, sanding marks, etchings, Type II water spots.

You'll be impressed with what a good DA Polisher can do when used correctly.

Just be sure to read through this before starting

If you're moving up to machine polishing, be sure to read the below thread before starting...

Tips & Techniques for using the G110, G100, G220 and the PC Dual Action Polisher
(These are all similar tools)


Also, ALWAYS do a Test Spot with the products and pads you're planning on using over the entire car and make sure you can make one small area look good first.

Since this is your first post, welcome to Meguiar's Online!

[motmoto1]

Re: Rotary Buffer vs DA Polisher vs Traditional Orbital Buffer

This is all great info - I have a question regarding use of the PC. I know the PC won't remove major paint defects, but I assume it will remove moderate swirling and water spots? The paint on my car is very soft so hopefully I should get good results with it. I keep reading that the rotary would be best to remove major paint defects - whatare considered major paint defects - holograms, deep scratches?

Thanks again!

Noobie.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Electric Shepherd
Mike, with one of these larger orbital buffers [such as I own] is it worth wetting [so it's only just damp] the cotton polishing bonnet before use? Would this limit the amount of product that would absorb into it?

Generally speaking the answer is "no".

You don't want to introduce water to the chemical you're using as the chemist didn't formulate it to be used that way. That is unless the directions on the label instruct you to add water or wet your applicator pad first.

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by Electric Shepherd
Mike, with one of these larger orbital buffers [such as I own] is it worth wetting [so it's only just damp] the cotton polishing bonnet before use? Would this limit the amount of product that would absorb into it?

The ones that I have seen have rather thin bonnets. I wouldn't worry to much about it myself.

[Electric Shepherd]

You can try using the ScratchX with the orbital buffer, but two things, one is if this orbital is they large style, it's going to be a fixed speed buffer and this will be a slow speed, (as compared to the dual action polisher), making it pretty in-effective, (but you can try). Also, if it a large style orbital buffer like one of these,



Then take into account that a lot of your product is going to be sucked up into the bonnet itself until it reaches a certain saturation point.

Mike, with one of these larger orbital buffers [such as I own] is it worth wetting [so it's only just damp] the cotton polishing bonnet before use? Would this limit the amount of product that would absorb into it?

[davey g-force]

Thanks Zet and Murr.

I think I'll try the ScratchX by hand first and see how that goes.
Do you think I can just apply the ScratchX to the affected areas without doing the whole car? If so, will the areas treated with ScratchX look different to the rest of the car?

[Zet]

Yes, the #80 is much less aggressive than #83, and when used with the PC, it is very mild. So it should be fine to start out with.

If you want to try removing the swirls by hand, you should use ScratchX, like in this thread: How To Remove Swirls By Hand

If the swirls are very fine, you could try out something even milder like DC1. With the ScratchX you might be able to remove the swirls with just one application.

[davey g-force]

Thanks Murr1525. Those links were very helpful.

The second link says to use M83 first for neglected or abused surfaces (which mine isn't). So are you saying that M80 is much less aggressive?

I'm a bit worried about doing more harm than good, as I've never used a polisher before. Should I try something even milder than M80? Or what would I use if I decide to do it by hand?

The swirls are very fine - only visible under flourescent lights...

[Murr1525]

Probably worth a new thread, but here is an answer for now:

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

Nxt is just a wax, dont worry about any cleaning ability it has. You are going to want a dedicated paint cleaner to remove swirls.

#80 is kind of the go-to product for this sort of thing. It can remove swirls, but still nice and mild.

So a real fast detail could look like:

1. Wash
2. #80
3. 2 coats of Nxt.

[davey g-force]

I'm looking at purchasing a G-100a for applying wax. (I've been trying to win one for the last few months, but to no avail !!)

My paint is in very good condition - I wash the car every week and wax by hand every 2-3 weeks. The car is always parked under cover.

I want the G-100 for two reasons:

1. To make my fortnightly waxing quicker and easier
2. To hopefully remove some light scratches/swirls in the clear coat that don't come out by hand.

Would the G-100 used with NXT wax achieve the two points above? Or would I need another product with the G100? Or should I just use another product by hand and forget about the G-100?

Thanks in advance...

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by silence
ok well than i will just have to pick the spots that are very noticeable. The hood is my big problem, but I think i won't have the energy to do the whole hood with SX.

You can try using the ScratchX with the orbital buffer, but two things, one is if this orbital is they large style, it's going to be a fixed speed buffer and this will be a slow speed, (as compared to the dual action polisher), making it pretty in-effective, (but you can try). Also, if it a large style orbital buffer like one of these,



Then take into account that a lot of your product is going to be sucked up into the bonnet itself until it reaches a certain saturation point.

[silence]

ok well than i will just have to pick the spots that are very noticeable. The hood is my big problem, but I think i won't have the energy to do the whole hood with SX.